Nearly 10,000 fans graced the stands in San Bernardino during the Little League Western Championship Tournament against Hawaii in the summer of 1992, and most of them had traveled from Long Beach to cheer for the 12-year-olds All-Stars out of Stearns Park. State flags waved in the stands as everyone held their breath, wondering which team would make it to the World Series. But the road wasn’t going to be easy. The Long Beach nine were facing Hawaii pitcher Lanakila Niles, who